One Moment in Fifty
by Squeeka Cuomo
Summary: Fifty moments. One lifetime.


**One Moment in Fifty**

_**Ring…**_  
A lifetime (or maybe two) ago, Caroline had hated the ring that Bonnie had spelled for her so she would be able to walk in the sun, and unable to stand the thought of living in the night, she'd grudgingly slipped it on her finger; it isn't until much later, when Klaus tells her he loves her that she truly realizes what sunlight feels like on her skin.

_**Hero…**_  
Klaus has never fancied himself a hero, but as Caroline lies in his arms, helpless and on the point of death for the second time, he realizes that he will _always_ drop everything to try and save her.

_**Memory…**_  
His mind is riddled with over a thousand years' worth of memories-of family and of murder-but they all pale in comparison to the few vivid memories he has of Caroline smiling at him with kindness in her stormy blue eyes.

_**Box…**_  
On the rare occasion that Caroline thinks of Klaus' humanity she imagines that deep within him there is a box, it is small and made of battered dark wood and on the front there is a tiny golden lock; she knows that if she could just find the key that matched she would be able to unlock his soul.

_**Run…**_  
Her eyes are wide with wonder, her lips just beginning to split into a smile and Klaus feels his own mouth twitch in response, but before he can even smirk she's taken off, running madly, freely through the lush field of yellow tulips that have just begun to bloom.

_**Hurricane…**_  
They are completely silent, staring into one another's eyes, hers are prickling with the ache of unshed tears and his are a swirl of emotions, a hurricane of anger, hate, despair, betrayal and worst of all, fear.

_**Wings…**_  
Klaus presses a tender kiss to Caroline's bare collar bone, his eyes searching her face, hungry for a reaction; when her eyes flicker shut, her lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, he smiles tenderly against her skin.

_**Cold…**_  
She knows that Klaus has worked for centuries to perfect his Ice King persona, and she can't blame him – it adds to his Big Bad image after all, but she's seen him burn with the heat of a thousand suns, so she knows that really is nothing cold about him.

_**Red…**_  
Caroline sits on the counter top in front of him, her feet crossed behind his back, and there's a dare in her eyes as she places the tube of cherry red lipstick in his hand; they both know that he won't be able to resist kissing her lips red instead of applying the cosmetic.

_**Drink…**_  
She has never allowed Klaus to drink her blood, not even a sip, but as the tiny drop blossoms on the tip of her finger, she holds the digit out to him, inviting him to pass over the final threshold in their relationship.

_**Midnight…**_  
There is moonlight in her eyes and a darkness in her touch which draws Klaus in, beckons him to come closer and closer until he is helpless against her touch, whimpering at the exquisite pain that her midnight kisses causes him.

_**Temptation…**_  
"Open it, love," Klaus' voice ghosts over her ear, reaching down so far to the depths of her soul that she can barely think, when Caroline's finally able to open the tiny velvet box her hands are shaking, when she sees that the box is empty, Klaus whispers to her, "turn around…"

_**View…**_  
"Is this… ok?," the subtle anxiety in her voice makes Klaus smile, there's so little that unnerves her anymore, but she has nothing to worry about; her body is a stunning silhouette of soft curves, the gentle swell of breasts and the contour of hips, and as he touches the charcoal to the parchment in front of him his whispers back, "You're perfect."

_**Music…**_  
Klaus stands behind her, his hand over her heart as if feeling for the beat that will never come again, she rolls her eyes dramatically, wants to tell him how ridiculous this whole thing is, but he just wants her to listen; so she does – to the violins that seem to weep and the cellos which cry in response, but what she really hears is Klaus' passion, his life, as he hums along in her ear.

_**Silk…**_  
Klaus' hand slips over the curves of her ribs, sliding down her waist, reveling in the feel of the purple silk under his hand; he used to love silk – the way it moved like liquid, how it was cool to the touch—but now it is too much, it's in the way of what he wants most in the world and he will not be outdone by a swatch of fabric, not matter how beautiful it is.

_**Cover…**_  
His blood coats her lips, hot and sickly sweet, and somehow, perfectly him; it's her first taste of him and Caroline knows that she will never be able to get enough.

_**Promise…**_  
Klaus has never been one for clichés—he is an Original through and through—but when Caroline takes his hand for the first time, it feels like a million clichés rolled into one, but more than that, it feels like a promise.

_**Dream…**_  
Caroline feel as if she's in a dream, life, after all, is not so surreal; she's not supposed to love Klaus, she's not supposed to shiver when he says her name, she's not supposed to feel so _right_ when he touches her, but she does; perhaps she has traded reality for dreams after all.

_**Candle…**_  
As Caroline kisses a path down his chest, Klaus' gaze is fixed on the candle on the bedside table, its flame is flickering in time to his unnecessary breaths and thinks to himself, "Caroline has given me my life back."

_**Talent…**_  
Caroline reaches out a tentative hand, longing to feel the grooves of the bristles in the dried oil; the painting is old-she doesn't know how she knows that, but she does and she knows that Klaus would be furious is she were to harm it-but she longs to feel his passion in it nonetheless.

_**Silence…**_  
He has known since he first met her that Caroline will babble incessantly when nervous or scared, or even excited; but even though, a lifetime later, she still does it… Klaus is pretty sure he has taught her the value of silence, and what can be done when one isn't rambling on.

_**Journey…**_  
Looking at his outstretched hand, Caroline knows that if she takes it, it will be the end of her life as Caroline Forbes, as Miss Mystic Falls, and that it will be the beginning of a journey that will rival the greatest which history has ever seen.

_**Fire…**_  
Caroline can feel the hot fire of shame and grief and utter disbelief at what she's just done welling up inside of her as the witches collapse one by one; when the last one crumples to the ground she feels the flames engulf her, it is then that she begins to realize just how wrong she was about Klaus.

_**Strength…**_  
Even though she's still such a young vampire, Klaus can feel the strength in her bones as she struggles against him, fights to be free of his iron clad grasp so that she can run to her mother's coffin; but he won't let go and she won't be able to break free, and as he whispers into her ear, "I'm sorry, love, but you can't be seen," he can feel that fight slip from her shaking body.

_**Mask…**_  
The mask covers her eyes and dips over the sides of her cheeks, a display of red feathers and glittering stones, Klaus' is the exact opposite with it's simple white outline, but neither mask can hide their joy and as Caroline sees a wide smile break over her lover's face-such a rare site that it takes her proverbial breath away-she wonders just how many masks he truly wears.

_**Ice…**_  
His blood runs cold, like ice through his veins; Klaus has always believed that that was a result of his vampire nature dominating the werewolf in him, it isn't until Caroline presses her lips to his, warming him from the outside in, that he realizes just how wrong he's been about that.

_**Fall…**_  
"You're kidding me," Caroline eyed Klaus incredulously as she laced up her skates, "You've never been ice skating _once_ in your like, billion year life?" when he shrugs his response, Caroline smiles wickedly as says, "well then… looks like I'll be catching you when you fall."

_**Forgotten…**_  
Two lifetimes together and one apart and Klaus still hasn't forgotten a single expression that Caroline's face is capable of making; he knows that she will haunt him until the end of time.

_**Dance…**_  
Caroline has always loved to dance, giving herself over to the music and the movement, but when Klaus wraps his arms around her, she hates herself for how easily her body betrays her by melting into his arms and falling quickly instep with him – her traitorous body so easily takes what she will never allow herself.

_**Body…**_  
Her body is pressed against his, her hands tearing at his clothes with animal intensity and Klaus wants nothing more to follow her lead, but there will only be one first time and he wants to meet every last inch of her body with his fingertips, giving it the adoration it deserves.

_**Sacred...**_  
Caroline can barely stand the way that Klaus looks at her, his eyes taking in every last detail of her face, as if she is something special, something sacred.

_**Farewells…**_  
Klaus has never been one to let go – family, grudges, friends, he holds them all close to his heart; when it comes time for him to leave for New Orleans he finds it impossible to say goodbye to Caroline, instead he leaves, never looking back, but always holding on.

_**World…**_  
A lifetime passes before Caroline sees Klaus again, she's tried to live a normal life, but when he shows up on her doorstep she realizes just what she's been missing and when he offers her the world (again) she takes it.

_**Formal…**_  
Klaus has always enjoyed formality, fine wines, proper names, perfectly tailored blue jeans, they help to keep his life in order, but Caroline, a buzzing ball of frenetic energy, threatens to tear it all apart; surprisingly though, Klaus finds that he doesn't mind.

_**Fever…**_  
The music fills the mansion, making Caroline feel as if she's in some sort of jazzy-y bubble and she begins to sing along, swaying her slim hips as Peggy Lee sing seductively, it isn't until she hears Klaus chuckling that she realizes she isn't alone; when Klaus says she does , indeed, give him fever she blushes furiously.

_**Laugh…**_  
He knows he _should_ be mad at her, Klaus _wants_ to be mad at her, but the second Caroline's face splits into a grin and she laughs, he gives in and does the same.

_**Lies…**_  
Klaus lies through his teeth, Caroline knows, oh, he pretends to be all noble and refined, but she will never underestimate his ability to tell the most beautiful (and believable) of lies.

_**Forever…**_  
When Klaus mentions _forever_ to Caroline and he sees the shock and wonder in her eyes, he hasn't the heart to tell her that _forever_ will never, ever be enough.

_**Overwhelmed…**_  
Caroline's chest heaved with the labor of unnecessary breath, it wasn't that she was shocked by what she'd done, no, what overwhelmed her was just how easy it had been to close the distance between herself and Klaus and press her lips against his… even now, as she touched her mouth in memory she thought, it should never have been that easy.

_**Whisper…**_  
He wants to call out to her, beg her to stay, but as she drives away, not once looking back, all he can do is whisper her name.

_**Wait…**_  
Caroline likes to think that Klaus will wait for her until the end of time; but one day, she smells something… _different_ on him, something feminine and now she's isn't so sure of just how long he's willing to give her.

_**Talk…**_  
Klaus knows that he can try to talk Caroline out of her plan to try and restore Elena's humanity until he's blue in the face; he also knows that once she's made up her mind, talking won't do a thing in the world to dissuade her.

_**Search…**_  
Caroline has searched high and low for the perfect anniversary gift for Klaus, after all, the etiquette handbook doesn't exactly cover one hundred and first anniversary's, when she sees the tin of charcoal pencils in a shop in Paris, she knows just what to do.

_**Hope…**_  
Klaus had never been one to hope, choosing instead to take what he wanted without questioning, but after meeting Caroline, he finds himself torn between wanting to claim her as his own and hoping that she will choose him over Tyler.

_**Eclipse…**_  
She doesn't care how much he begs, how much he pleads, Caroline will not, under any circumstances, get on stage in a Tokyo karaoke club and sing _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ to Klaus; that's what she tells herself, at least.

_**Gravity…**_  
Gravity is a ridiculous concept, Caroline thinks to herself as she stands at the top of the waterfall, why must what goes up come down, after all; but as she looks down at Klaus, wading in the pool below, and she leaps into the open, she thinks, perhaps gravity isn't so bad.

_**Highway…**_  
He'd bought a brand new car, complete with a convertible top, just for this occasion; Klaus wanted Caroline to feel like a movie star, the wind whipping through her hair as they turned onto the Highway and out of Mystic Falls for the very last time; he'd never forget the look of pure delight on her face when she saw it.

_**Unknown…**_  
Caroline enjoys familiarity – her friends, her the stuffed duck, her mom, in a life filled with vampires, werewolves and witches, these small things help keep her grounded, but when Klaus flashes a devious smile in her direction, she feels herself slipping easily into the unknown.

_**Lock…**_  
He has never understood the purpose of locks in his home, they are easily broken with a simple twist of his wrist, but when Caroline shuts herself in the bathroom and he hears the lock turn with a resounding _click _before she starts to cry, he finally understands exactly what they're for.

_**Breathe…**_  
Caroline knows it's ridiculous, pointless, but as Klaus kisses her throat so tenderly that it aches, she feels her breath, her needless breath, catch in her throat.

**Squeeka Cuomo's Notes**  
- Erin: Thank you so much for the beta and your constant encouragement. I really appreciate it. :)  
- This was written for the LJ community "1sentence." My chosen table was "gamma."  
- The song Caroline is singing in "Fever..." is Fever by Peggy Lee. Go and listen to it.  
- Reviews are love.


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